Peonies

afbq(7)March 12, 2013

I'm cross posting from the Peony forum and I hope this forum is OK for that kind of shrub.

Don't want to be too dramatic but today I was out spring cleaning and trimming. In my trimming ferver I pulled out an old Peony stem with a root and buds attached. :(
Can it be saved?! If so, what do I do? Plant in ground or in a pot? I've read that it may not do well if I just plant in ground. I might cross post this elsewhere (did not notice a lot of activity here)

Was this a tree peony? There appears to be both woody stems and herbaceous buds (the pink bits). Tree peonies are often grafted onto herbaceous roots. The tree peony needs to be planted deeply to allow the 'tree' portion to form its own roots. Planted shallowly, the herbaceous rootstock will send up its own shoots and the woody portion may be weakened over time. It looks to me like that you are dealing with that sort of situation. So, I would replant it in the ground but, if this was a tree peony, consider planting it deeper if you want to keep the tree peony strong. If it is not a tree peony, then you shouldn't bury the 'eyes' too deep.

I have no idea what kind of peony it is. They were here when I moved in. I can tell you that the stalks come up in the spring and dry up in the fall/winter. I have a pink one and a white one. Aren't I full of useful information?

I would pot it up, but *you* are in zone 7, so no need to wait to replant it. I hope you just planted both pieces on opposite sides of a hole less than six inches deep. In a year or two you should have another blooming peony. Is it a dark pink or a light pink? A popular dark pink around here is Kansas, light pink is Sara Bernhardt but I have no idea where you are.

Thanks! It's just one piece, I took pictures of two angles. I don't know what color it is.. I think this one is the dark pink. I planted it the other day and already I see growth, I'm so excited! :D I might plant it in a perm. spot later on, but I'm assessing sunlight and trying to plan out my garden.